For a while, it seemed like night markets, the popular East Asian concept that made landfall in Metro Vancouver more than a decade ago, were sprouting up all across the region.

But while some night markets continue to operate and even thrive in the Lower Mainland, others have come and gone, showing just how difficult it can be to balance the many aspects of running a successful operation.

“Some people think if they set up some tents, people will come,” said Raymond Cheung, organizer of the Richmond Night Market, the largest of its kind in Metro Vancouver. “That’s not true today. People are picky. The expectations are getting high. They want quality, now. Anything less, they don’t want to go.”

âSome people think if they set up some tents, people will come,â said Raymond Cheung, organizer of the Richmond Night Market, the largest of its kind in Metro Vancouver. âThatâs not true today. People are picky. The expectations are getting high. They want quality, now. Anything less, they donât want to go.”Gerry Kahrmann /
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This summer, four major night markets remain. Previous mainstays like the Chinatown Night Market has been put on “indefinite hiatus” by organizers, who did not respond to requests for an interview. Another set up in the Plaza of Nations last year did not continue this year.

Ingrid Doerr, founder of Northshore Green Markets, runs the successful Shipyards Night Market in North Vancouver City, which attracts up to 10,000 people a night during the weekends. Doerr also organized the foray into the Plaza of Nations.

“The rent was enormous,” Doerr said of the downtown Vancouver location. “The parking was very expensive, especially if there’s any other event nearby. And it’s a little tucked away. Because the Plaza of Nations hasn’t been used for so long, it’s hard to get people there. It really has to be economical for us to run, so we don’t pass the charge onto the vendors.”

Satbir Cheema, who started the Surrey Night Market three years ago, said the challenge for smaller operations like his is awareness and finding a market niche. Cheema said the market’s first year was a major attendance success. Last year the market experienced a dip in attendance, but this year has seen the pace even out at about 1,500 visitors a night or 5,000 over a weekend.

“The idea is to have something within Surrey, so they don’t need to go and cross any bridges,” Cheema said. “A lot of people still don’t know about it. But this is the only place in Surrey, and for people in Langley, Abbotsford and the South Fraser region, Richmond may be too far.”

Liza Cheung, chief of operations of Richmond’s International Summer Night Market, also known as the Panda Night Market, said it is focusing its appeal on families, given the market’s ample parking and sitting areas for the 10,000 visitors every weekend.

Cheung is not related to the Richmond Night Market’s organizer and the two Richmond markets have had legal battles.

She said said the Panda market is seeking events like pet shows and go-kart racing championships to host.

“There are still some people foreign to it, but it’s not just an Asian market,” she said. “By bringing other events, it introduces different audiences to a form of market they are not used to. There are many trends in the market — and we do hope to continue to service the community and provide them a place to go.”

The key for the Shipyard Night Market, Doerr said, is staying true to the mandate of running an environmentally friendly market with a focus on local producers that’s more akin to a farmer’s market than the more glitzy, fair-like atmosphere of other markets.

The game changer, she hopes, is the plan by the City of North Vancouver to build a covered area at the North Vancouver shipyards, something Doerr has advocated to allow the market to operate through the year instead of being confined to the summer.

“Right now, we are very seasonal,” she said. “But people love it year-round. It’s now become a weekly occurrence for people; some of them say they don’t have to cook now on Friday nights. (The project) looks like it’s going to be really cool.”

Cheema, meanwhile, said Surrey’s night market will pursue starting a beer garden next year, but Richmond Night Market’s Raymond Cheung said his market is taking a more mainstream approach.

“That’s something we keep avoiding,” Cheung said of the beer garden, pointing to the throngs of children that can be seen everywhere at the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at the location just west of the River Rock Casino. “People ask for it, but this is why we don’t have it. The trend that we have here is that this is not an alcohol event; it’s a family event.”

One of the dinosaur displays at the Richmond Night Market. The prehistoric creatures are the theme of this year’s markets.Gerry Kahrmann /
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Cheung, who has been working on the night market since 2000, added that he believes there’s a reason his operation — at more than 2,000 visitors an hour, with 100 food booths and 250 merchandise stalls — has grown to the largest in the city. At every step through the market, he pointed to every detail — the intricate designs of every flag, the energetic music at every corner, the placement of the main performance stage near the entrance and the popular food stalls in the back — as the recipe for his success.

This year, the market’s dinosaur theme — with huge fibreglass and plastic models, both mechanically mobile and stationary, everywhere — resembles a theme park more than a traditional night market.

“We have kids coming from Seattle and Victoria, just to see the dinosaurs,” Cheung said. “If you come back the next year and see exactly the same thing, you’ll say nothing’s different. It really throws you off. That’s why we purposely shift the vendors around, so for a visitor, it’s almost like a treasure hunt. They have to explore and discover things, and that’s part of the enjoyment: To find something they didn’t expect.

“We actually sat down last week to talk about 2017 already,” he added, noted the constant need to innovate to encourage return visits. “ It’s sounds funny, but everything we do, we do it in-house. … Every year, we have to push ourselves to the next level.”

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